West Coast Ports: Contract Negotiations Resume
Contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association resumed a week ago in San Francisco.
From JOC :
Both parties had spent the previous day meeting internally to prepare for the return to face-to-face negotiations. There was much disappointment with the announcement on Nov. 21 that both sides would not return to the negotiation table until last week. Read more
U.S. West Coast contract negotiations could go one of two ways when the ILWU convenes a caucus in San Francisco in the week beginning Dec. 15.
If the ILWU leadership believes there is enough substance in what has been negotiated by then, it would seek authorization to sign a tentative contract that would then have to be approved in a vote by the rank and file in the ensuing weeks.
On the other hand, if the union’s leaders are not comfortable with what they have to present to the caucus, they would decide to return to the negotiating table with the PMA. This could be devastating. With the Christmas holidays, no significant progress in negotiations could be expected for the rest of the month. If contract negotiations were extended into 2015, it would be extremely costly for shipping lines, terminal operators and especially the importers and exporters who depend upon the U.S. West Coast gateways. Read more
There is still congestion! Why? Labor slowdowns, chassis dislocation, near-record containerized import volumes and some marine terminals’ inability to handle increasingly large vessels.
Superior Freight Service will keep you updated with the West Coast Ports latest news on our blog posts. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us superior@supfrt.com or call 800.298.4305.
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